Election
sermon given by Pastor Samuel Cooke, A. E., Pastor of the Second Church
in Cambridge, MA, May 30, 1770.

This
sermon was given shortly after the “Boston Massacre” denouncing
the abuse of power exhibited by the British government. This message
was so powerful that the Massachusetts House of Representatives ordered
the sermon to be printed and distributed.[1]

Foundation
scripture

2
Samuel 23:3- The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me,
He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
4- And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of
the earth by clear shining after rain.

So
far in this one sermon by Pastor Samuel Cooke we have seen him give
biblical directives concerning the character of politicians, the types
of laws and how they were to be worded and the balance of powers in
government along with upholding the laws of the State. That is more
than most preachers today preach in a lifetime. That is why we are in
the shape that we are in; the church has sidestepped its responsibilities
concerning the type of person that we are to place in authority over
us and giving the correct manner in which God has directed for our government
to be run. They followed the biblical directive given Moses in Exodus
18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such
as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over
them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties,
and rulers of tens. When you don’t fear God, you rule however
you feel like giving concern only to how you will benefit, which is
the type of government that they had left in England and other parts
of Europe and the type of government we are experiencing today.

Cooke
briefly touches on the subject of a military type of rule over people
which Britain had done to the Colonies sending foreign troops to America
to force the Colonies to abide by English laws that even violated the
English constitution: "Military aid" has ever been deemed
dangerous to a free civil state, and often has been used as an effectual
engine to subvert it. Those who, in the camp and in the field of battle,
are our glory and defense, from the experience of other nations, will
be thought, in time of peace, a very improper safeguard to a constitution
which has liberty, British liberty, for its basis. When a people are
in subjection to those who are detached from their fellow-citizens,
under distinct laws and rules, supported in idleness and luxury, armed
with the terrors of death, under the most absolute command, ready and
obliged to execute the most daring orders —what must, what has
been the consequence?”[1]
(Emphasis mine)

Notice
that he speaks about how these rulers are ‘detached from their
fellow citizens’, this is exactly what we are seeing concerning
the so-called Affordable Heathcare Act. Congress and the president are
exempt from what has been called Obamacare, but the people are subject
to it. It has cost many an American the security of a full time job
because employers are cutting hours, 40 down to 29.5 per week, so the
cost of the healthcare is less to the employer.

Our
courts are another subject that Cooke addresses that shows why we have
such an out of control court system today that no longer abides by the
directives of the Constitution that our Founders established. He states:
“Justice also requires of rulers, in their legislative capacity,
that they attend to the operation of their own acts, and repeal whatever
laws, upon an impartial review, they find to be inconsistent with the
laws of God, the rights of men, and the general benefit of society.
This the community hath a right to expect. And they must have mistaken
apprehensions of true dignity who imagine they can acquire or support
it by persisting in wrong measures, and thereby counteracting the sole
end of government. It belongs to the all-seeing God alone absolutely
to be of one mind. It is the glory of man, in whatever station, to perceive
and correct his mistakes. Arrogant pretences to infallibility, in matters
of state or religion, represent human nature in the most contemptible
light. We have a view of our nature in its most abject state when we
read the senseless laws of the Medes and Persians, or hear the impotent
thunders of the Vatican. Stability in promoting the public good, which
justice demands, leads to a change of measures when the interest of
the community requires it, which must often be the case in this mutable,
imperfect state.”[2]
(Emphasis mine)

Advertisement

Note
that Cooke states “that they attend to the operation of their
own acts, and repeal whatever laws, upon an impartial review, they find
to be inconsistent with the laws of God, the rights of men, and the
general benefit of society. This, the community hath a right to expect.”
How many laws do we have today that violate the laws of God? This administration
is using Obamacare to force all companies to supply abortion and birth
control for all employees even though both of these are a violation
of the Word of God. These, along with many other ‘ laws’
such as giving homosexuals the right to ‘marry’ besides
being against the laws of God, do nothing but destroy the foundation
of all societies. In the State of Colorado we just passed a civil unions
bill that does not allow a pastor to refuse the use of his sanctuary
for a homosexual ceremony. For now the pastor will not be forced to
perform the ceremony, but he must allow his sanctuary to be used for
one. I know many pastors that will fight this as their sanctuary has
been dedicated to the worship of Jesus Christ alone and to allow a homosexual
‘marriage’ is a blasphemous act. Our First Amendment states
that no law can restrict the free exercise of our religion, but this
as well as many others does exactly that yet our courts nor Congress
seem to care about these blatant violations of our Constitutional rights.

Cooke
goes on to state just how these rulers are to act and carry out their
commission as people in authority: “This decent liberty the just
ruler will consider not as his grant, but a right inherent in the people,
without which their obedience is rendered merely passive; and though,
possibly, under a just administration, it may degenerate into licentiousness,
which in its extreme is subversive of all government, yet the history
of past ages and of our nation shows that the greatest dangers have
arisen from lawless power. The body of a people are disposed to lead
quiet and peaceable lives, and it is their highest interest to support
the government under which their quietness is ensured. They retain a
reverence for their superiors, and seldom foresee or suspect danger
till they feel their burdens.

Rulers
of every degree are in a measure above the fear of man, but are, equally
with others, under the restraints of the divine law. The Almighty has
not divested himself of his own absolute authority by permitting subordinate
government among men. He allows none to rule otherwise than under him
and in his fear, and without a true fear of God justice will be found
to be but an empty name. Though reason may in some degree investigate
the relation and fitness of things, yet I think it evident that moral
obligations are founded wholly in a belief of God and his superintending
providence. This belief, deeply impressed on the mind, brings the most
convincing evidence that men are moral agents, obliged to act according
to the natural and evident relation of things, and the rank they bear
in God's creation; that the divine will, however made known to them,
is the law by which all their actions must be regulated, and their state
finally determined.”[3]

Subscribe
to the NewsWithViews Daily News Alerts!

Enter
Your E-Mail Address:

Cooke
points out that throughout the ages the dangers to mans freedoms have
always come from those in power that do not follow the guidelines set
out by God and it is in the public’s interest to have only Godly
men to be in authority over us. This was confirmed by our first Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, John Jay; "Providence
has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty,
as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select
and prefer Christians for their rulers."

When
we get back to this we will begin to see a change in the state of America
but if we continue to elect those that have no fear of God then the
future of America is very dim.

1.
Pulpit of the American Revolution, John W. Thorton, The Federalist Papers
Project, (Gould and Lincoln, Boston), p.p. 167-1682.
Pulpit of the American Revolution, John W. Thorton, The Federalist Papers
Project, (Gould and Lincoln, Boston), p. 1683.
Pulpit of the American Revolution, John W. Thorton, The Federalist Papers
Project, (Gould and Lincoln, Boston), p. 170

Pastor Roger
Anghis is the Founder of RestoreFreeSpeech.org, an organization designed
to draw attention to the need of returning free speech rights to churches
that was restricted in 1954.

President of
The Damascus Project, TheDamascusProject.org,
which has a stated purpose of teaching pastors and lay people the need
of the churches involvement in the political arena and to teach the
historical role of Christianity in the politics of the United States.
Married-37 years, 3 children, three grandchildren.

Our courts are another
subject that Cooke addresses that shows why we have such an out of control
court system today that no longer abides by the directives of the Constitution
that our Founders established.